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Cavaliers’ Struggles in Miami Concerns LeBron

By Jared Kungle

Mar 19, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade (3) talks with Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) during the second half at American Airlines Arena. The Heat won 122-101. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 19, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade (3) talks with Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) during the second half at American Airlines Arena. The Heat won 122-101. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /
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After being routed by the Miami Heat 122-101 at American Airlines Arena Saturday night, four-time MVP LeBron James stated the Cavaliers play in South Beach has been “concerning.”

In the game against the Heat, head coach Tyronn Lue decided to roll with the small ball lineup that has been successful in the past. Iman Shumpert was moved off the bench to play the small forward position; James, power forward; Kevin Love, center.

Despite the aforementioned success of the small ball lineup, the Cavaliers came out completely flat. Kyrie Irving and James accounted for 15 of the team’s 19 first quarter points, and Richard Jefferson seemed to be the only to get things going off the bench throughout the entirety of the game.

The Cavs underwhelming performance marked the team’s 11th consecutive loss against the Heat in Miami, something that doesn’t sit well with LeBron.

“The way they’ve beat us here is a little concerning if we face them [in the playoffs],” James said after Saturday’s loss, per ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. “I think we’ll be ready for it more. We didn’t play [up to our] potential. We didn’t play our game. We let them play their game, and they took it to us.”

The streak is one that goes all the way back to 2010, when James announced his departure from Cleveland to join forces with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in South Beach. The Cavaliers failed to beat the James-led Heat team during his four-year stint in Miami, but it hasn’t stopped since James announced his return.

Since making his return to Cleveland, James and the Cavaliers have played the Heat four times at American Airlines Arena, all of which ended in double-digit losses.

As it stands right now, the Cavs and Heat are positioned on the same side of the playoff bracket, and are primed for a potential second-round matchup. This could be troublesome if the Cavaliers can not find some consistency, especially rotation consistency.

The unfortunate narrative for the Cavs, however, is the fact the inconsistency hasn’t only been against the Heat. In their last 15 games, the Cavs are 9-6 –15-8 since the start of February– and are slowly losing ground to the Toronto Raptors, who are now just 1.5 games behind for the first seed in the Eastern Conference.

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“You would like to play well from February into March,” James said, per Windhorst. “Consistency is a part of life.”

It’s now or never for the Cavs to find consistency. There are 13 games remaining in the campaign, so the timetable to get things on the right track is shrinking every day.

It’s not the league’s best (worst) kept secret that LeBron is a completely different species when the playoffs roll around, but the supporting cast needs to get in a rhythm before it is too late.

Is LeBron’s concern against Miami important or are there bigger concerns?